The rain in Santiago de Compostela as seen by a German photographer and an Andalusian poet

Years ago I decided to launch this section of my blog, not only to showcase interesting places, but also as an escape.

Ten beautiful places that you should not miss if you spend your holidays in Galicia
'The beauty of Galicia': the magnificent video of a German photographer on the Galician coast

Sometimes, the political news is so unpleasant that it calls for a break, a rest, a moment to disconnect and breathe fresh air. These days, many may be surprised that I dedicate so much time to publishing on Explorando.info, but with so much pain, so much death, and so much horror, this green corner to take a break from it all is more necessary than ever. So let's get to it.

I just saw a beautiful video published two years ago by German photographer and filmmaker Sercan Kurt, in which he shows us some corners of the city of Santiago de Compostela on a rainy day. In Galicia we often say that in Santiago, rain is art, and this video is proof of that. If I also manage to get you to take at least two minutes to breathe, I think it will have been worth publishing:

In 1935, the Andalusian poet Federico García Lorca wrote some beautiful verses in Galician, entitled "Madrigal á cibdá de Santiago" (Madrigal to the city of Santiago), which wonderfully summarize those drops of art that fall on the capital of Galicia on rainy days:

Chove en Santiago
meu doce amor.
Camelia branca do ar
brila entebrecida ô sol.

Chove en Santiago
na noite escura.
Herbas de prata e de sono
cobren a valeira lúa.

Olla a choiva pol-a rúa,
laio de pedra e cristal.
Olla no vento esvaído
soma e cinza do teu mar.

Soma e cinza do teu mar,
Santiago, lonxe do sol.
Ágoa da mañán anterga
trema no meu corazón.

Here you can read the English translation:

It's raining in Santiago,
my sweet love.
The white camellia of the air
shines darkly in the sun.

It's raining in Santiago
in the dark night.
Silver grasses and dreams
cover the empty moon.

Look at the rain in the street,
a complaint of stone and glass.
Look in the blurred wind
at the shadow and ash of your sea.

Shadow and ash of your sea,
Santiago, far from the sun.
Water of the ancient morning
trembles in my heart.

The Galician traditional music group Luar na Lubre published a beautiful musical version of this poem in their magnificent album "Cabo do mundo" (1999), with the magical voice of Rosa Cedrón singing Lorca's verses:

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Main image: Sercan Kurt.